


Beautiful Crime

by Cin89



Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 07:43:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16512128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cin89/pseuds/Cin89
Summary: Sophie Clarke never expected to return to Oceanside. But when an old friend passes away, she is forced to face the family she promised herself she'd never see again and face a love that she never completely let go of.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Craig/OFC
> 
> A/N: I thought of this story after listening to the song “Beautiful Crime” by Tamer. In my mind, Craig hasn’t always been the way he is on the show. At some point, he was just a normal teenager living in a world that was fueled by the criminal lifestyle. We see on the show that he doesn’t do relationships….but why? So, this is where my brain thought of this story. What if he had already had a “first love” and she wasn’t drugs? What if she was almost the catalyst of his sinking into the dark pool he in now? I will say that I am, in no way, a professional writer (I wish!), but I do hope that you all will enjoy this creation. Please let me know what you think. I am absolutely open to constructive criticism, but let’s keep it constructive. Enjoy!

 

* * *

**Prologue**

 

_Each step I left behind_

_Each road you know is mine_

_Walking on a line ten stories high_

_Say you'll still be by my side_

_If I could take your hand, oh_

_If you could understand_

_That I can barely breathe the air is thin_

_I fear the fall and where we'll land_

_We fight every night for something_

_When the sun sets we're both the same_

_Half in the shadows_

_Half-burned in flames_

_We can't look back for nothing_

_Take what you need, say your goodbyes_

_I gave you everything_

_And it's a beautiful crime_

_"Beautiful Crime" by Tamer_

(12 Years Prior)

She sat at the bus stop alone. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, 21-year-old Sophie Clarke knew she was making the right decision. No matter how badly it hurt. No matter how badly she wanted to run back to the house she had begun calling home, to crawl back into bed with him and pretend that everything would be okay in the morning.

It was never going to be okay. Nothing would ever change, she knew that. But dammit, it hurt to accept that. It hurt so bad that she felt physically ill.

For the last four years, Craig Cody had been the most prominent thing in her life. At one point, she saw nothing but being with him for the rest of her life. He loved her when he could. He was a good boyfriend when he could be. Even as reckless and often childish he could be at times. He surprisingly always put her first. When he wasn't high.

When he was high, he forgot himself and her. Sometimes he couldn't even remember her name.

That hurt. But the fact that he chose the drugs over her….hurt even worse.

Of course, no one stopped him. No one could and no one wanted too. They needed him high when they pulled jobs. Even at 22….Craig Cody had stolen more cars than anyone she knew. Hell, she'd helped him a couple of times. But no one ever knew that. He'd never tell. He had to protect her.

Sophie reached up and wiped away the single tear that slipped down her cheek. Leaving Oceanside was going to be hard. Saying goodbye to her Nan had been harder….but leaving him?

It would always be the worst. But sometimes, you had to do…what you had to do.

* * *

 

**Chapter 1: Julia**

It had been Baz that called her. She almost hadn't answered the phone when she saw the Oceanside area code, but something told her she should. So, she did and now because of that, she was sitting on an airplane flying across the nation to say goodbye to a friend that she could've helped. Maybe.

Julia Cody had been a couple of years ahead of Sophie in school when they met. After Sophie's parents divorced and her father moved to Spain with his new wife, Sophie's mother couldn't take care of her, so she was sent to live with her grandma, Rose. Rose Clarke had been everything that Sophie had needed. Loving, caring, selfless and most of all…dependable. She had loved Sophie with every fiber of her being and taught her how to carry herself as a person. Sophie and her grandmother lived a few houses up from the Cody's and when Sophie first met Julia, she knew they'd be friends for life.

_(FLASHBACK)_

_"You're new."_

_10-year-old Sophie looked up and saw a girl with dark hair on a bicycle on the sidewalk. She threw her leg over the bike and walked over to Sophie with the bike._

_"I'm Julia…live a couple of houses down," she said and stuck out her hand. She looked to be about 12 or 13 years old._

_Sophie looked at her hand for a second and then extended her own. "I'm Sophie. I live here with my Grandma Rosie."_

_"She's a nice lady. Sometimes my mom and I bring her cupcakes over." Julia said nonchalantly and then looked back and they both saw a woman standing at the edge of the driveway watching them. "That's my mom, they call her Smurf. But her name is really Janine. Do you want to come over? We could go swimming or something."_

_Sophie watched as the blonde woman gave her a warm smile and Sophie nodded. "Yeah. That'd be cool."_

_"Cool. Come on." Julia said and steered her bike towards the house. Sophie followed with great interest as they approached, "Smurf" smiled at her._

_"You must be Sophie. I'm Janine Cody," she said and let Sophie shake her hand. "I already called your Grandma Rosie, she said it's fine for you girls to play."_

_"Thank you, Ms. Cody," Sophie said politely and looked behind her at all the things in the driveway of the Cody residence. So many vehicles and expensive looking things that Sophie only remembered seeing in catalogs or on TV._

_"Call me Smurf sweetie." Smurf said as she let the two girls walk past her. Sophie felt welcomed and followed Julia towards the backyard and from that point on, she was a member of the family._

_(END OF FLASHBACK)_

From that moment on, she and Julia had been the best of friends. As they grew older though, life started changing them. While Sophie studied, Julia got high and eventually, Josh was born. The older Julia got, the worse she got and finally one day she and Smurf had a big blowout fight and Julia took Josh and left. But at that point, Sophie was already too invested. Particularly with one of the Cody brothers.

Craig.

Craig Cody had been the love of her life all through high school. He had been her first in everything. He was wild, ambitious, and unpredictable. While her Grandma Rose liked him, she'd never liked their relationship.

"Honey, he's self-destructive." She'd always say.

And he was. Still was from what she'd heard. But she had loved him. She always told herself he'd change, for her. He'd been a good boyfriend when he was sober. Even when he wasn't, he was at least honest. As far as she had known. But life just took a drastic turn for them. By the time she was 20, she had a choice. Stay and wait for him to grow up, and still be waiting 12 years later. Or move forward with her life. So…she ran, as fast as she could. She told herself that she wouldn't ever see them again, or him. But here she was. In the worst possible way.

* * *

 

"Holy shit."

Sophie's fingers tightened around her purse strap as she heard Deran's voice as she walked up to the small funeral service. Immediately, eyes were on her and she felt like turning around and running. Again.

"Sophie, oh baby…..it's so good to see you. I wish it was under different circumstances." Smurf said as she walked up to her and wrapped her up in a hug. Sophie smiled and hugged her back and stupidly looked up to see him. Immediately as if she had burned him, Craig turned his head away from her and stood rigid.

"Me too," she whispered and pulled away from Smurf and saw a younger man standing next to her. Josh.

"I'm so sorry," Sophie said and to him and he nodded and gave her a smile before stepping forward and surprisingly hugging her. She gave him a pat on the arm as they pulled away and looked at the small group in front of her. Baz gave her a genuine smile as his wife, or girlfriend did the same. Pope simply stared at her, which wasn't unusual.

"Hey, Soph…" Deran whispered and gave her a nod as she passed. She gave him a quick smile and then went to the only other place she could stand. On the other side of Craig. He didn't even so much as look at her when she passed and she only felt even more tension between them. His jaw clenched so hard she could see it as his hands curled up. But nonetheless, she went to his other side and clasped her hands in front of her and stared at the closed coffin.

About a few minutes of silence, Smurf looked at all of them. "Would anyone like to say anything?"

She wanted too. She wanted to talk about the better times when Julia was clean. She wanted to tell Josh that despite it all, his mother did love him. But she couldn't. She couldn't say a word.

"They don't belong here, J." a lady across from them said. "Don't stand there with them. Don't."

Sophie looked up and looked at the lady as she zeroed her gaze on Josh.

"Dina, not now…please," J said as he looked over at Dina.

"She may have been weak, but she did everything she could to protect you from them." Dina continued.

"Dina, I'm fine. Thank you. But please, not here." J continued and Sophie felt Craig tense up next to her even more.

"Why don't you get the hell out of here." Craig snapped at the lady and Sophie watched as Dina just gave J one more look and then turned around and walked away.

She wasn't wrong. Julia had done everything she could, but…..no one could escape the Cody family.

Not even her.

After the other group of people walked away, they all stood their silently for a bit. Finally, Smurf nodded to the two men to lower the casket and they all walked in a line up to it. She stood behind Craig, he hadn't said a word to her, though she didn't expect him too. Why would he? But nonetheless, she stood behind his tall frame and waited for her turn. He didn't even pause at the casket when he walked up to it, just turned and followed Deran.

Walking up, she lay her hand on the casket and felt tears prick her eyes. "Bye Jules….I hope you finally found your peace."

* * *

 

Sophie walked into her grandmother's house and sighed in content. This was her peace. She could smell the distinct smell of roast and her stomach automatically started to grumble. Dropping her purse to the chair, she rolled her luggage out of the doorway and closed it the front door. Sudden footsteps could be heard as Sophie looked up and saw Rosie coming at her with open arms.

"There is my Soph," Rosie said warmly and threw her arms around her. "You've lost too much weight. Come on, I made your favorite and there is probably a pumpkin pie in the fridge."

Sophie was glad to be here and to see this woman again.

"Gran, you didn't have to do that," she said but followed the woman into the kitchen.

"Nonsense. Sit down, shut up and eat." Rosie commanded and then put a plate of food in front of her with so much food on it, it could probably feed a small army.

"Gran….."Sophie started to protest but the sharp look she was given shut her up and she started eating. The pot roast melting in her mouth like butter.

"How was….the funeral?" Rosie asked, breaking their comfortable silence.

Sophie wiped her mouth and sat back in the chair. "As expected. Smurf had a small ceremony, no one said anything…except for the neighbors, warning J that none of the Cody's should even have been there."

Rosie dropped her head and shook her head. "She struggled for a long time."

"I wish I could've talked to her," Sophie replied and felt stupid tears prick her eyes. "I should've talked to her. It wouldn't have been hard to do."

"Honey, Julia Cody was her own worst enemy. She tried to keep him away from a world that she was already allowing him to live in. She was lost. Just like the rest of them." Rosie finished and took the last bite of her food. "I do hope you don't mind me giving Barry your number though."

"No, no…that's fine. I'm glad you did. I'm glad he called, at least I got to say goodbye to her." Sophie answered and smiled when Rosie placed a big piece of pie in front of her.

"So, how's Philadelphia…and…your mother," Rosie asked with mild distaste that made Sophie want to laugh.

"Cold and disappointed. Both of them." Sophie answered. "She's obviously thrilled that I came back to Oceanside and that doesn't help the already deep wound of me quitting the hospital."

This took Rose by surprise. "You quit the hospital?"

"It's just a….. was a guy that worked there, he made things…difficult. Of course, mom insisted that I was exaggerating. But, he didn't make it easy to work there." Sophie explained and caught Rosie staring at her. "It's finished now, it's over and done. I'm working at my friend Amy's coffee shop and living with her."

"Did he hurt you?" Rosie asked and took a drink of her tea. "Because if he did, I probably have some contacts in Philadelphia…"

"Gran! We aren't putting a hit on anyone." Sophie laughed and then grew serious again. "He didn't hurt me. But like I said, it's over now."

"You did not put yourself through college to become a nurse, to have it ripped away from you by some brainless twit," Rosie argued. "Not my granddaughter."

"I'm fine. I'm just…..I'll figure it out." Sophie finished and smiled warmly at Rosie. "Thank you for dinner. It was delicious."

"Anytime my girl. Well, I do have bingo tonight…I can cancel, and we can…" Rosie started to say as she immediately began cleaning up the kitchen.

Sophie stopped her and took the dished from her hands. "No, no…same rule. You cook, I clean. Go to bingo, I'll be fine. I'm tired and plan on just take a shower and go to bed."

Rosie looked at her for a minute and Sophie just nudged her towards the hall. "Go…I'll be fine."

* * *

 

"What is your problem?" Renn asked as she pulled her dress back over her head. After the funeral, he immediately went over to her house to get some blow, and one thing led to another and now he was pulling back on his own clothes. But she knew, she immediately knew he had a problem. And he fucking did.

12 years. 12 years of trying to forget that face. Those same beautiful green eyes that he loved. The same long and dark brown hair he used to constantly feel the need to touch. Sophie Clarke had been the love of his fucking life, and when she left…a little part of him left with her. He dropped even deeper in the dark pool of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Anything to get her out of his mind. But it never worked. He still saw her in his dreams, drug-induced hazes, sometimes he swore he saw her on the street. He never told his brothers about that, hell no…they'd think of him as some sap or lovesick puppy. Fuck that. He wasn't. He didn't need that shit and he didn't need her. He had everything he needed right around him.

Money. Surfing. Drugs. Sex. In that order. She'd only screw that order up and he didn't need that order screwed up. He was perfectly fine the way it was.

"Craig!" Renn said as she hit his arm.

He turned towards her and gave her a lazy grin. "Sorry, I'm here."

"No, no you're not. It's $50," she said with an attitude and held out her hand.

"$50? It was fucking $30 last week…" Craig argued and dug out his wallet.

"You paid attention to me last week. Now it's $50. What the hell is going on with you? It's like you're somewhere else." Renn said and took the money from his hand.

"I'm always somewhere else," he replied and then looked at the clock. "I gotta go. See you later."

Renn rolled her eyes and watched him leave as she leaned against the wall. "Yeah, later."

He walked out of her beach house and ran a hand through his hair. He had to get his shit together, they had a job to do later that night. His head had to be in the game, but he couldn't stop thinking about Sophie. She had been beautiful 12 years ago, now? She was gorgeous. Her hair was still long and still looked just as soft. Her green eyes were still as piercing and beautiful now as they were then and damn it all to hell, when she walked past him at Julia's funeral, the smell of coconut and vanilla filled his senses as the wind picked up. It was her smell. It was as if the whole universe was against him forgetting her because now, all he thought about was those eyes. He hadn't loved much in his life, but he had loved her. Even though he knew he had to be a pretty shitty boyfriend, he loved her. But that wasn't enough, she'd left anyway. Sophie Clarke had been the first and only person to break his heart, after that? Fuck it. He didn't let anyone close enough anymore.

"Get yourself together, man…" Craig mumbled to himself as he drove the Scout down the streets of Oceanside. He pulled into the driveway of Smurf's house and walked inside to see Deran coming through the door.

"Soph, she looks good…." Deran started to say, but Craig shook his head. "Come on man…"

"I don't wanna talk about it. We surfing or not?" Craig asked as Deran just gave him an annoyed look and nodded. Craig walked into his room and dug through the little box. Pulling out the bag of white powder, he quickly did a line and closed his eyes. This would help calm his nerves. Hopefully.

* * *

 

Sophie looked up when she heard a knock on the front door and reached for the remote to pause the Netflix show she was watching. Getting up, she walked over to the door and opened it slightly and was surprised to see Josh, or "J" standing on the other side.

"Hi…Sophie?" J asked politely, holding a bag in his hand. "I'm sorry to bother you. Smurf said that your grandma lived here still. I was hoping you'd be here."

"No problem. Come in…my grandma's not here…" Sophie started to say, but J shook his head and walked through the door.

"No, I was hoping to talk to you. If you don't mind?" J asked and Sophie shook her head and motioned towards the kitchen table. He sat down after she did and dug through his backpack. "I wanted to give you this."

Sophie took the envelope from his hand and opened it, tears immediately filling her eyes. In the picture, dated from when Sophie and Julia were so much younger. Julia was probably around 19 and Sophie was 16.

"You were just a little guy when this got taken," Sophie whispered. "It was before she got really bad."

"Yeah. She said it was her favorite picture. Always made her happy when she was having a bad day." J explained and Sophie wiped away the tear that escaped down her cheek. J handed her another envelope and it contained more pictures. Sophie started going through them and stopped on another picture. Of her and Craig. So young, around the same time. He was about 17. He didn't have the long hair yet, but he had those same piercing blue eyes. His arm, which was free from tattoos, was slung over her shoulder. He had always towered over her 5'2 frame. It wasn't ever hard for him though, he was always the tallest guy in the room at 6'2 before he was even 16 and now stood probably around 6'4 or 6'5.

"Do you….do you remember the coleslaw incident?" J asked her as she broke out of her reverie.

Sophie nodded and frowned. " Yeah, that was the last we saw you two."

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Sophie laughed as Deran tossed Josh up into the air, the 5-year-old screams of delight flowed through the air. Craig was in front of her, his arms dangling over her legs as she sat on the edge of the pool. Craig took the joint from her hand and took a long drag before turning around and running his hands up her legs._

_"Wanna stay here tonight?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her middle drug her closer to the edge of the water. "Be a shame if you got all wet."_

_"Knock it off," Sophie said, playfully swatting at his arm. "You know I can't. I have to work tomorrow."_

_"Skip….come on, Soph….just stay with me," Craig said and pulled her even closer to the edge. "Don't make me get you wet."_

_"Don't make promises you can't keep…" Sophie said and smiled at him as she leaned down and kissed him. "I can't."_

_Deran was playing with Josh in the background, completely oblivious to the two of them as Craig's hand roamed down her thighs and he started to pull her into the water until a crash jolted them apart._

_"This is fucking ridiculous!" Julia screamed as she stormed out of the patio doors and looked around. "Where's Josh?"_

_"Julia, stop…." Smurf said as she followed her out. Sophie looked over and saw that Deran had stopped throwing Josh around the water and was holding him. The little boy's face was stricken with fear as the two women argued._

_"No, I asked you…just for once to stop treating me like a damn child. I'm done with this shit." Julia snapped and looked around again. "Where the hell is my son!?"_

_Sophie pushed herself up and walked over to the edge of the pool and grabbed the towel as Deran swam in her direction. Without a word, he lifted Josh up and Sophie wrapped a towel around him._

_"Come on, let's get you into some dry clothes," Sophie said, smiling at the little boy. He continued to watch his mother and grandmother argue as Sophie walked passed them. She took him into Julia's room and handed him dry clothes. "Go ahead and change into these, okay? Then we'll turn on some cartoons."_

_Josh nodded and took the clothes as he scurried away, Sophie could still hear the two woman arguing outside and as Josh came back in, he came over to her and tugged on her shirt._

_"Can you help me?" Josh asked and Sophie looked down to see that he had pulled on his sneakers. Nodding, she tied them for him and smiled brightly._

_"There you go," Sophie said as she combed his messy hair in place and nodded. "Now you look presentable. Come on, let's find some cartoons."_

_A few more minutes of muffled arguing outside was drowned out by the sound of Bugs Bunny until suddenly a sound of shattering glass was heard and a few seconds later, Julia pushed her way into the bedroom._

_"I'm done. I'm done with her, with them, with this. Joshy, we are leaving. Help me get your stuff together, buddy. Go get Fluff." Julia rambled as she started grabbing stuff out of the closet and throwing it into the bag._

_"Jules…." Sophie whispered as she kept her arm around Josh, who was staring at Julia with wide eyes._

_"Josh, go on. Get Fluff and help me pack." Julia said sternly and this time, the little boy moved to do as he was told. Sophie stood up and walked over and put her hand on Julia's arm._

_"Jules…..talk to me," Sophie demanded and finally the woman looked up. Her eyes becoming more clear that they were earlier._

_"I'm done with her. You should be too." Julia said and then turned towards her completely. "He's not going to change, Soph. Smurf has him exactly where she wants him. He won't change."_

_"I'm ready Mommy…." Josh said from the door, under his arm was his stuffed dog "Fluff" and in his hand was a little backpack._

_"Okay, buddy….just sit tight. I'm almost done. Hug Aunt Soph…" Julia said and Sophie saw tears gather in her eyes. Josh ran over and wrapped his little arms around Sophie's waist and Julia wiped away her tears. "Run Soph. I know you love him and he loves you…but she won't let him go. No matter what."_

_(END OF FLASHBACK)_

"She never told me what it was about. We didn't talk about them" J said softly and laughed. "Just lived in shitty apartments with barely any money and what money we did have…well, you know."

"She tried J…." Sophie started to defend Julia, but couldn't find the right words. "At least she tried."

"When did you leave?" J asked and put the photos back into the envelope.

"About 6 months later," Sophie answered and took a drink of her coffee. "She was right."

"Let him go from what?" J asked curiously, but Sophie shook her head and he dropped it.

J put the envelope back in his backpack and stood up. "She talked about you. It made her happy that you were in Philadelphia and in college."

"J, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that….everything was so screwed up. But, she did love you. She tried to do whatever she could. I think." Sophie said and J nodded and gave her a polite smile.

"Yeah, she tried," J answered and then took his stuff and Sophie lead him to the front door and they said their goodbyes. After closing the door, she leaned back against it and let out a shaky breath. So many of those memories flooded back to her, all of those memories she tried to push into the very back of her mind. Deep down where they wouldn't resurface. But they always did. No matter how many times she tried to forget about the Cody family, or Craig…..it was impossible. She had tried to escape it all in Philadelphia but just found herself even more miserable there. She didn't want to admit that she needed that family. She didn't. But sometimes, sometimes she thought about what life would have been like had Craig left with her. Had they went together. But she'll never find that out now. Just a few more days and she'd be back in Philadelphia and maybe this time she'd find a place where she could be happy.

* * *

 

"Did you start doing homework?" Rosie asked as she appeared in the doorway of the living room and held up a composition book. "You're hand-writing is very sloppy."

Sophie laughed as she looked up from her laptop and shook her head. "No, it's probably J's. He stopped by this afternoon and left it. I'll just take it over to Smurf's."

Rosie nodded and Sophie stood up and pulled on her sneakers as she wrapped her long gray cardigan around her and took the notebook. Opting to walk since it was a nice evening, she started down the road to Smurf's house. So many times she'd made that walk. The neighborhood was quiet, with a few cars idly passing by as she finally made it to the house and saw the gate open. Weird.

Walking up the front walk, she raised her hand and knocked on the door. It hadn't been completely closed and opened on its own. Okay, that was really weird. Taking a cautious step inside, she decided to just leave the book on the table but then heard yells of pain and froze. Following the sound, she made her way down the long hall and then stopped suddenly, gasping at what she saw. Baz, Pope, and Craig were in the sitting room. Blood everywhere and Baz getting ready to dig into Craig's chest.

Somethings never change.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: As always, I only own what you don't recognize. Everything else belongs to TNT and the writers of Animal Kingdom.**

* * *

 

"What the hell are you doing?" Sophie exclaimed and rushed forward. It was almost like she didn't recognize what she was doing as she took the gloves from Baz and put them on. Craig was either too delirious from pain to argue as she touched his chest but he kept his eyes on her the whole time.

"We got the bullet out but we gotta cauterize it or he'll bleed to death," Baz argued as Sophie stood next to him and held the bandage over the profusely bleeding wound.

Sophie couldn't disagree with that, but it still didn't make it okay. Cauterizing any wound was dangerous.

"You want him to go south?" Sophie mumbled and then saw Baz glare at her. "I'm just saying. Cauterizing a wound is always dangerous and not something that we actually do."

"No, taking him to the emergency room is something we could do. But we can't. So, we have this." Baz argued and shrugged. "And that's the only option we have."

"Because they report gunshot wounds and I guess you can't say he fell on the gun, right?" Sophie snapped back and Baz clenched his jaw as Pope just stayed silent.

"Guys…." Craig mumbled and she looked at him and saw him struggling to keep his eyes open. "If you're done bitching. Could you finish this? I'm not feeling so great."

"You wanna help? Then help. If you don't, then leave." Baz said, and then softened his gaze. "I get it. But we can't let him bleed to death. It's not like I wanna do it."

Sophie sighed and nodded. She knew he was right. Crawling onto the pool table behind Craig, she pulled herself as close as possible and nodded at Baz.

"No…wait…wait…" Craig mumbled when Baz got closer, but the man didn't listen and Sophie closed her eyes tightly when she heard the burning of the skin. Craig yelled out in pain and she pushed against him as he started to fall back against her. Baz continued and then stopped suddenly when they heard footsteps. Sophie looked up and saw J standing there with wide eyes. Baz paused and looked at him and finally, J just backed away and walked down the hall.

"All right, we got him done. Can you?" Baz started to ask, but she just shooed him out of the room. They left and she turned around and started rummaging through the bag. Pulling out bandages and ointments, she turned back to Craig and noticed swaying slightly.

"Hey…" Sophie said gently as she hurried up to him and caught him before he fell off the pool table. Sighing, she let him lean against her and shook her head in annoyance. "You should've gone to the hospital."

"They ask too many questions," Craig mumbled quietly near her ear. "Gunshots are reported."

"Still. This could get infected." Sophie said as she helped him straighten his body up. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Too late…" Craig said almost inaudibly and then raised his head and opened his eyes more. "Just do it."

Sophie pretended that she didn't hear him say that and carried on. She wiped the blood off his skin and tried her best not to look at him. Moving fluidly around the medical supplies she had the bandage on his arm in record time. For precaution, she wrapped another bandage around him and leaned closer as she put her arm around him and looped the white gauze around his arm.

"You need to take it easy for a couple of days," Sophie said as she finished. Backing away from him, she stood awkwardly in the middle of the room as he just nodded, ignoring her completely and attempted to stand up. She rushed forward as he stumbled and wound her arm around his waist as he found his grip.

"I don't need your help." Craig snapped and pulled away from her. She moved away from him and let him walk away slowly before he finally disappeared down the hallway. Sophie started cleaning up what she could and as she turned around, she saw Smurf standing at the opening of the living room.

"Hi baby….thank you for helping." Smurf said and took the trash bag from her. "Sophie…"

"I know. Say nothing," Sophie said as she started to move past Smurf. "I remember. Don't let him get that infected. He'll only have to go down South."

* * *

 

Sophie made it back to her grandmother's house in record time and immediately took a hot shower. She just stood under the shower head and let the hot water flow over her body. Closing her eyes, she just stood still. 12 years later and things still hadn't changed for the Cody family. Did she actually expect it to? Not really. But the reality of it all was still the same. They were dangerous and she was in dangerous territory.

_I don't need your help._

The way he had spat those words at her hurt more than she cared to admit. That wasn't the Craig she used to know. But then again, did she expect to be welcomed with open arms? Hell no. She was scared of seeing him. Scared of feeling all those same feelings she felt before. She needed to leave. She needed to get back to her routine of being away from everything again.

But that also included Rosie. She hadn't seen her in over a year and despite talking to her every day on the phone. Sophie still missed her. So much. There wasn't a good bond between Sophie and her own mother, but there was with Rosie.

"Sophie? Are you okay?"

Speaking of such, Sophie jumped out of her reverie and realized the water had gotten much colder to the point of making her shiver. Rosie's voice came through the bathroom door and Sophie quickly shut the water off.

"Yeah, I'm almost done." Sophie called through the glass shower door and slide the door opened and stepped out. Wrapping a towel around her and ringing out her wet hair, she cracked open the bathroom door and smiled at Rosie. "Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts."

"Herbal Essence moment, I understand. Well, get some clothes on. Dinner's ready and Wheel of Fortune will be on in 30 minutes," Rosie said, the worry on her face diminished when Sophie's face appeared. Nodding, Sophie closed the door back and quickly dried her hair and pulled on her pajamas. Walking out into the living room, she paused as she walked by a group of pictures. The one in the direct middle was of her and Rosie at Sophie's high school graduation. She remembered like it was yesterday, Smurf had been the one who had taken the picture and Sophie's own mother hadn't even bothered showing up.

_(FLASHBACK)_

_"Smile!" Smurf said and Sophie felt Rosie's arm tighten around her waist as they both smiled brightly for the camera. Once the shot was taken, Rosie started talking to some people and Sophie looked around the courtyard of the high school. All the kids had their parents and siblings. Sophie didn't. She had Rosie and Smurf. Sophie's mother, Victoria, had contacted her the week before and said she had something come up and wouldn't be there. She did send a card, that was unsigned and promptly burned by Craig when Sophie opened it in front of him and lost it. She hated crying over the woman, but it seemed like all she could do when Victoria Clarke was even mentioned._

_"Craig's sorry that he's not here. Mr. Nichols wouldn't grant it. Believe me, I tried." Smurf said almost menacingly and stared at the superintendent over Sophie's shoulder._

_"It's okay. I know." Sophie said and then hugged Smurf tightly. "But you're here. That means a lot to me."_

_"Of course I'm here. I'll always be here." Smurf said and reached over and hugged her again. "You're one of us baby."_

_(END OF FLASHBACK)_

At the time, Sophie hadn't even grasped the depth of what that meant. She felt warmed by the acceptance and in some ways, still did. She knew that the feelings probably weren't the same now. But at one time, she had been a dedicated person to the family.

"All right, let's eat. I'm starving." Rosie announced as she walked into the living room carrying two plates. "I got out the fine china and fancy dinner tables tonight."

Sophie looked and saw paper plates and TV trays and had to laugh. "Thanks, gran, I feel special."

"Anything for my girl," Rosie said and then pointed at the chair. "Sit down and eat."

Sophie did as she was told and they ate in a peaceful silence. Watching an episode of Wheel of Fortune, Sophie looked over at Rosie and took a deep breath. "I need to go back home."

Rosie's hand stilled and then she proceeded and take a bite of her food. "I know."

"Soon," Sophie whispered and Rosie looked over at her. "Something happened tonight."

"Is he okay?" Rosie asked as she paused the television.

"Yeah. I think so." Sophie answered and then pushed her TV tray table away and curled up in the chair. "I just need to go back, you know."

"Are you scared of wanting him again? Or him wanting you?" Rosie asked, surprising Sophie and stacking their empty plates and disappearing for a second before returning and handing a bottle of beer over to Sophie. "Sometimes I just need to have a beer. So do you."

"Gran…." Sophie admonished but took the beer and when Rosie just gave her a pointed look, Sophie relented. "He doesn't want me. Pretty sure he hates me and I don't….no, I know….that I don't need him."

 

_(FLASHBACK)_

_Sophie jumped slightly when the front door crashed open. Looking up, she gasped when she saw Baz and Pope basically carrying Craig into the house. Moving off the couch, she quickly ran over to them and looked at his bruised face. "What happened?!"_

_"Just a minor mishap. Don't worry, you should see the other guy." Deran said almost excitedly as he came in after them. To the 17-year-old, this was just a game and by the smile on Craig's face, he too thought the same._

_"This isn't funny!" Sophie snapped and surprisingly they all stopped laughing about it and Craig looked up at her with wide eyes. She didn't say anything as she took Pope's spot and Smurf appeared with a medical bag. Baz helped her sit Craig down on the couch and then hovered next to her._

_"I got him. Just go." Sophie muttered and Baz took his queue to leave with Pope and Deran as Smurf followed them silently._

_"I'm fine.." Craig started to say and then hissed when Sophie rubbed the alcohol pad over his knuckles. "Jesus Soph, that fucking hurts."_

_"Not fine then, are you?" Sophie said but lessened her aggressiveness when he grimaced. "What happened?"_

_"You know, the usual," Craig said as he watched her work. "You're good at this."_

_"I have you to thank for that," Sophie said and then looked up at him and softened her gaze. "He kicks you in the ribs? Possible broken bones?"_

_"Nah, not on me. Maybe him." Craig said and smirked. "I beat the shit out of him. Can't you be proud of me for that?"_

_"So proud that on the night you were supposed to be out for Baz's birthday, you got into a fight with a guy whom you beat the shit out of. I'm so proud," she said and this time, he narrowed his eyes._

_"Why are you being such a bitch about this….fuck! Jesus Soph, that fucking hurts." Craig snapped, getting angrier now._

_"Why am I being such a bitch about this? What happens if you get shot or stabbed? Is it going to be fucking funny then? It doesn't matter how "good" I am at this…..I can't fix those things and you won't go to the hospital. So some night, Baz is gonna come back and tell me that you died in a fucking alleyway." Sophie said and threw the alcohol pad on the floor and rested back on her heels. "For goodness sakes Craig, everything about this is wrong."_

_"You know what fucking happens around here, all right? And you've never seemed to have a problem with it before." Craig said and took the bandage out of her hand. "I'll just do it myself if you don't want too. I don't need your help."_

_Sophie watched as he fumbled with the bandage for a minute before finally throwing it to the side in frustration and got up and stormed down the hall. She heard his bedroom door slam and shook her head. Picking up the bandage, she followed and opened the door just in time to watch him snort of a line of cocaine. She watched him move over to his bed and sit down on the edge of it._

_"I just don't want anything to happen to you and I don't ever want you to have a problem like this that can't be fixed. I know what happens around here, I get that. I guess. But that still doesn't mean that I'm okay with you getting hurt." Sophie said as she gently shut the door behind her._

_"I know," Craig answered honestly and she walked over to him and knelt down and held out her hand. He put his own in hers and she started cleaning it up again._

_"I think you broke it," Sophie told him after inspecting his swollen knuckles. "How hard did you hit the guy?"_

_"Hard enough." Craig gloated and smirked at her. "I'm a big guy."_

_Rolling her eyes, Sophie just continued to tend to the wounds and finally finished and pushed herself up. As she backed away though, she felt him wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against him._

_"I gotta get money. How else are we gonna get to Belize?" Craig asked as he looked at her with the most sincerity she'd ever seen him give. "I promised you we would. I promised you that we would leave."_

_(END OF FLASHBACK)_

A pipe dream was all it was. Belize was always going to be their escape. But, it never happened. It wasn't even a year later, and she was gone. It was all just a faded memory now. Sophie looked over at the clock on the bedside table and saw it was close to 2:30 in the morning. Pushing herself out of bed, she padded over to the bathroom and splashed water on her face. Staring into the mirror, she almost didn't recognize the person she saw anymore. Gone was the carefree nature she used to have. Now? She didn't know what she wanted. A part of her knew that returning to Philadelphia would be safe from the Cody's. Even though, after Craig's reaction to seeing her again didn't give her much thought they would even be worth worrying about.

She was right when she told Rosie she didn't need him anymore. Because she didn't. She had lived 12 years on her own without him and did just fine. Except for the stalker ex-boyfriend, a horrible relationship with her mother and losing her job. But most of that was out of her control. She just drew a bad card. Maybe she could stay in California. San Diego was nice, it would be closer to Rosie. But far enough away that she could also live her own life. It was worth thinking about at least.

* * *

 

(3 days later)

Craig stumbled out of Renn's house and got into the Scout. Pulling back his shirt, he looked at the infected wound on his chest and let out a painful sigh. He hurt. No amount of coke or oxy could even touch the pain. Not to mention earlier that day, he and Deran spent most of their time in some scrap yard destroying the Range Rover and now also had to get rid of the watches. Fucking great. Driving down the street, he drove past Rosie's house and saw a car in the driveway that usually wasn't there. He knew this because, despite everything, he watched over Rosie in his own way. The car had to be Sophie.

He could always have her look at his chest. At this point, he was that desperate. But he just kept driving and finally pulled into Smurf's driveway and got out. Silently walking through the front door, he made his way down to his room and shut the door. Digging through his dresser, he pulled out a bag of coke and started to prepare it to snort when the bedroom opened and he looked over and saw Deran.

"Dude, ever heard of knocking." Craig snapped and turned back to the line of coke and snorted it. He held the bridge of his nose and let out a breath before sluggishly walking over and collapsing on the couch. "What?"

"Maybe you need to see someone about that. Soph….." Deran started to suggest and stopped when Craig glared at him.

"Don't." Craig threatened and leaned back against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. His chest fucking hurt so much.

"Don't be such a pussy about this man. Just go ask her to look at it." Deran said and watched Craig. He had to admit that he was worried. Really worried. When Craig said nothing, Deran just shook his head and walked out of the bedroom. He started into the living room to finish playing the game he had started earlier, but then grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

* * *

 

Sophie was just about to sit down and watched TV when she heard a knock on the door. What was it with people interrupting her when all she wanted to do was watch Netflix? Putting down her bowl of cereal she walked over to the door and opened it and stared in shock when she saw Deran standing on the other side. "Hi….."

"Look, he's gonna kill me. But Craig needs you. His….problem is a big problem." Deran said and ran a hand through his hair. "Could you come and look at it?"

"Yeah…sure. I mean….yeah." Sophie stammered and quickly grabbed her stuff and followed Deran out the door. She didn't see any vehicle and followed him as they silently walked down the street.

"So..uh…how you been?" Deran asked and looked over at her while lighting a cigarette and holding the pack towards her.

Shaking her head at the offer, Sophie gave him a half smile. "Good. Really good. You?"

"Yeah…same," Deran answered and they continued to walk in an awkward silence until finally reaching the house. She followed Deran in and down the hall. He knocked once on a door and she heard Craig's voice. But he sounded sluggish. Deran opened the door and walked in.

Craig looked up from his spot on the sofa and saw her. "Dude, what the fuck?"

"Just let her look, man," Deran said and motioned to her. "Go ahead, he won't bite."

Sophie cautiously walked around Deran and watched Craig just narrow his eyes at her before finally mumbling a curse word under his breath and laid his arms down at his sides. She took a deep breath and knelt down next to him and reached up and pulled his shirt away. Gently pulling back the tape on the bandage, she immediately knew it was bad without even looking closely. "This is very bad."

"No shit." Craig snapped and then moved away from her. "I already knew that."

"Dude, stop being such an ass," Deran said and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "Does he need to go south? Tell him he needs to go south."

"You need to go south. Do you have a fever?" Sophie questioned and received no reply. So, she leaned up and touched his forehead and grimaced. "Craig…"

"What? It's infected. I know that. I'm not going south. I can take care of it myself." Craig said and moved away from her as he got up and moved back over to his dresser. Reaching in, he pulled out a baggie and started to take more pills.

"That is not going to fix the problem," Sophie said and then jumped when he slammed the drawer and turned slowly back to look at her. "I just mean…."

"Why are you even here? It's not like you fucking care. Because if you did….you know what doesn't matter. It doesn't fucking matter anymore." Craig snapped and pointed to the door. "Just get the hell out. Both of you."

"You need help. That is infected, if it gets into your bloodstream…it could kill you." Sophie said and leveled her glare at him. "Saying I don't care isn't fair because I do care. You. Need. A. Hospital."

"And you need to just leave and go back to wherever the hell you were. I don't want you here and I never did." Craig snapped and silence filled the room.

Deran looked at him with wide eyes and started to shake his head. "Dude….come on…."

Sophie felt tears well up in her eyes and pushed them back as she turned around, looking at Deran. "He needs to go south."

Deran nodded and started to say something, but she pushed past him and walked as quickly as she could out of the house. She made it back to her grandma's house in record timing and immediately pulled out her laptop to find the quickest and cheapest flight back to Philadelphia. But before she could do anything, an iMessage popped up and stopped her.

I know where you are at. Stop trying to hide from me.

Slamming the laptop lid, she sunk into the chair and felt hot tears rolling down her cheek before heavy sobs left her body. She was absolutely trapped. She couldn't go back to Philadelphia because it wasn't safe and she couldn't stay in Oceanside because she never belonged anyway.

He felt even more like shit now. Deran had left without saying a word to him, but that didn't bother him. The look on her face did. The minute the words flew out of his mouth, he regretted it. He'd told himself all those years ago that he never wanted to see her look at him like she did today.

He didn't mean what he had said. Dammit, he hadn't meant it. He had wanted her, hell he still did. She was everything to him at one time.

_(FLASHBACK)_

_"Belize. That's where we'll go." Craig said out loud in the dark bedroom. Sophie lay curled up at his side, his arm holding her against his side. "We won't need any of this shit. Just live on the beach."_

_"I want to go to school," Sophie whispered against his skin and tightened her hold on him. "Then Belize."_

_"Fine. You'll go to school. Graduate. Then Belize." Craig relented and brushed her hair back when she raised her head up to look at him and smiled. "4-year plan."_

_"Yeah?" Sophie asked and leaned against him. "You promise?"_

_Craig nodded and kissed her. "Yeah…I promise."_

_(END OF FLASHBACK)_

She was gone 8 months later. No more Belize. No more escape. Just Oceanside. He fell deeper into drugs and alcohol. The jobs started getting bigger, and because of that….so did the money. Now? He had everything he wanted. Almost everything.

Crushing the pills into powder, Craig leaned down and snorted the line before raising up and pulling the bandage off his chest and looking at the deeply infected wound in the dirty mirror. Grabbing the knife and blowtorch, he sterilizes the blade and touched it to his skin.


End file.
